The duty of care, damages, breach of duty, and causation are elements of which tort?

• A. Elements of negligent tort
• B. Privacy tort
• C. Intentional tort
• D. Strict liability

Answer: (A)

Negligence in tort law centers on failing to exercise reasonable care that leads to harm. The four elements—duty of care, breach of that duty, causation linking the breach to the injury, and damages from the injury—together define a negligent tort. The duty of care is the obligation to act as a reasonable person would in the given situation to avoid harming others. If that standard isn’t met, there’s a breach. Causation requires that the breach actually caused the injury (but-for the breach, the harm wouldn’t have occurred) and that the harm was a foreseeable consequence (proximate cause). Finally, damages are the actual losses suffered, such as medical expenses or property damage. This combination points to negligence, whereas a privacy tort focuses on invasion of privacy, an intentional tort requires intent to cause harm, and strict liability imposes liability without proof of fault.